Dead Roses
by Road-To-Dawn-riku-girl
Summary: Nishiki doesn't care about the Game. He doesn't care about anything. Upon entering the Game for a second time, he meets a girl...in the Realground.
1. Chapter 1

~Chapter 1~

"Congratulations, Players. You have successfully made it through the Game."

I rubbed my eyes against the bright white lights, trying to let them focus. When my eyes adjusted, I could see Butch next to me, shielding his own eyes; an angelic looking woman was standing before us. Her curly blonde hair fell loosely in front of her forget-me-not baby blue eyes. She was smiling.

She was suspicious.

"Y-you mean we won?" Butch asked, shocked. His grey eyes were full of a mixture of longing hope and the careful yielding of trust that all of us Players had adopted during the game.

"Yes, Yoshiro. You two are the soul survivors. Once again, congratulations," the woman said with a gentle smile. Butch ran his hand through his shaggy brown hair, embarrassed by the use of his birth name. His insistence on the use of his nickname – and most everything about him, for that matter – reminded me of my 'uncle', Beat.

"Who are you?" I asked, getting to the point.

"I am the Conductor of the Reaper's Game," the woman smiled, "I'm the one who supervises the Game and follows through on the Composer's plans. My actual name however, is Aoi Yatsuda. You needn't remember it though. You've won, haven't you?"

"So that's it then? We get our lives back?" Butch asked excitedly. I understood his excitement. From what he had told me, he'd been engaged to some girl and had been planning on getting married the week after he died. He wanted to go back.

Another thing he and I didn't have in common.

"Incorrect," Yatsuda said, suddenly frowning. "Only one of you goes back."

"What!? That's totally jack, Dude!" Butch exclaimed. "I thought whoever won the Game got a second chance!"

"That's correct; the Player that wins the Game gets a second chance at life," she replied, her smile still gone. Somehow, it seemed more natural.

"But that-"

"Play_er, _Yoshiro. Not Player_s_. Never forget details. While the two of you were playing the Game, the Composer was personally grading you. And the person who came out with the higher score was you, Yoshiro," Yatsuda explained, her angelic smile returning.

"So I can go back?" Butch confirmed, relief flooding his face. Yatsuda nodded. I felt relief wash over me as well. I was glad it was him going back.

"Wait, then what about Nishiki?" he asked, suddenly remembering I existed. Thanks, Partner.

"Nishiki has three options. He may choose to join the Reapers and help us run the Game, he may choose to play the Game again, or, if neither of those options appeal to him, he may choose erasure."

I felt my heart give a slightly harder than average _thump _at the word 'erasure.'

"Don't worry about me, Butch. I'll be okay. I'll play the Game again," I clarified, addressing the Conductor at the end of the statement.

"Thanks, Man," Butch grinned, punching me in the arm. Apparently this was a 'friendly' gesture. "Good luck in Round 2."

Yatsuda smiled at our exchange and turned her attention fully to Butch. "Here is your entry fee," she smiled. Butch winced for a moment and then beamed. I vaguely wondered what his entry fee was. I'd never asked. "Enjoy your second chance."

I watched with mild interest as Butch was lifted into the whiteness above us and vanished. I assumed that meant he made it back okay.

"Now, Nishiki," Yatsuda began, turning back towards me. "Your most valuable item hasn't changed during the course of the Game, so I'll continue to hold onto it."

"What _was _my entry fee?" I questioned her.

"You mean you never figured it out?" Yatsuda asked, raising and eyebrow. I shook my head, feeling rather stupid. "Your entry fee was a little different than everyone else's. Since you _have _nothing that valuable to you, we took something that the Game would have taken anyway."

I didn't get it. Yatsuda sighed.

"Details, Nishiki. You must always pay attention to details." What was with her and details? She'd said the same thing to Butch too. I didn't feel the need to say anything, so Yatsuda continued in place of my silence. "In the Game, you need a partner to survive, correct?"

I nodded, not really seeing or caring where she was going with this.

"So, that in itself took from you what you…like – rather than value, in your case – the most. Your entry fee, Nishiki, was your 'Solitude.'"


	2. Chapter 2

~Chapter 2~

Sanae Hanekoma made his was through the sewer tunnels of Shibuya, to the Dead God's Pad. The Composer was sitting on the glass floor, playing a game of Tin Pin Slammer against…Himself? Hanekoma shook his head in amusement. The fish below them were trying to catch the lights shining off of the Composer, unable to see the Composer's actual figure do to His high vibe frequency.

"Hey, Josh. I need to talk to you," Hanekoma said, holding out a cup of coffee.

The Composer looked up from His one-sided game and smiled. He took the coffee and stood up. "What's up Mr. H? Care to join me in some Tin Pin? Hee hee…"

"Well actually, it's about the Game," Hanekoma replied, ignoring the Composer's joke. The Composer frowned; it wasn't like Hanekoma to be so serious. "Well, to be more specific, it's about the Game and Neku Sakuraba," Hanekoma clarified.

The Composer's full interest was caught at Hanekoma's last few words. "Don't tell me Neku's in the Game again. That would be kind of pathetic, don't you think? And after I so kindly took him out of the Game, too," He smirked, playing with His hair.

Though, truthfully, He was surprised. He had made it a habit to pop in on Neku from time to time – in the Underground or course, where Neku couldn't see Him. He thought He had last peeked in on Neku rather recently, but He had to admit, time escaped Him. It could have easily been a couple years since the last time He checked.

"No, Neku isn't in the Game again," Hanekoma said, still unsmiling. "It's his son, Nishiki Sakuraba."

"Well I see the knack for dying at an early age is a family trait," the Composer grinned. First Neku and Shiki and now their son? "How old is Nishiki?"

"Seventeen," Hanekoma answered somberly.

The Composer sighed. Apparently it _had _been a while since He checked up on Neku. The last He knew, Neku's son – whose name He hadn't cared to find out until now – was only twelve.

"Well, what do you want me to do about it? Grant him a free pass to the Realground? Hee hee. I never knew you were such a rule-breaker, Mr. H."

"It's not that," Hanekoma said slowly. "This will be Nishiki's second time through."

"What? And you didn't bother to tell me about it before?" the Composer asked sharply, irked.

"Well honestly, I didn't think I should bother You. You just said Yourself that You couldn't really do anything about it. And quite honestly, I never expected him to even win the Game."

"I see," the Composer commented, pondering quietly to Himself.

"So, what do You think?" Hanekoma asked curiously.

"I think," Joshua began, grinning; his appearance started to become more clear and his features began to look younger as he tuned down his vibe, "it's time I reentered the Game."


	3. Chapter 3

~Chapter 3~

I opened my eyes and looked blearily around the Scramble Crossing. The Reaper's weren't very original. This is where I'd started off last week as well. I pushed myself to my feet and looked down to see the Player Pin in my hand again. The Game must always start off like this.

Not that I cared.

I people watched to kill time until the mission came. Everyone was bopping around doing their own thing. A few passed through me, which felt really weird. No one really bothered to watch where they were going; everyone was too caught up in their own thing.

After a few moments of waiting the familiar _beep _of my phone receiving a text sounded. I dully reached into my pocket and dug out my phone. I flipped it opened and viewed the text.

'Reach 104. Time limit: 60min. Fail and face Erasure.

-the Reapers'

As soon as I finished reading the text, I could feel the timer burn sharply into my hand. I winced and returned my phone to my pocket. Wow, the Reapers had no creativity. Even the mission was the same as last week's. Would all the missions be the same? How boring.

Well, better get to Hachiko, I decided. I'd look for a partner there, just like last week.

XXX

Joshua stood in front of Hachiko, waiting. Nishiki should be arriving any second. Other Players were already screaming and making Pacts, confused and terrified. Joshua crossed his arms and carefully looked through the other Players, making it look like he was in the RG and not in the Game; no one would try to make a Pact with him if they thought he wasn't a Player.

He sighed and flipped his hair. What was taking Nishiki so long? Joshua was sure everyone had gotten the mission by now. Had he missed him? He doubted Nishiki would get Erased that quickly.

He was about to make a call in to Hanekoma when he saw a familiar face appear around the corner headed to Scramble Crossing.

No, scratch that. Almost familiar. Joshua could easily tell Nishiki was Neku's son. Their faces were almost identical, and Nishiki's blondish hair had the obvious streak of Neku's orange in it. Well, for the most part. Nishiki's tips of his hair were dyed black.

Joshua smirked. Shiki must have played a part in Nishiki's hair. He could see her fussing over her son's fashion. Even his clothes were very trendy. He had a maroon and red striped CAT designer shirt on as well as CAT denim pants. He even had small headphones that were meant to be worn around the back of his head slung around his neck. On the left headphone was the CAT logo.

However, Nishiki's expression was missing the emotion and sense of urgency that Neku's face always wore. He looked almost…bored.

Joshua giggled to himself last time. He would make this almost an exact repeat of his first meeting with Neku. He wondered gleefully on how Nishiki would react.

XXX

While I was walking towards the dog statue I felt it. A white light flashed in the back of my eyes and I saw a brief image of a boy with grayish hair. I could feel another presence merge with my own.

I stopped midstep, completely caught off guard. A Pact? With who? Butch hadn't jumped me like this. I looked around, trying to place the presence with a body.

It didn't take me long to spot him. He was making his way towards me, grinning mischievously.

"Hello there," the boy smiled.

"Who are you?" I asked, still a bit shocked that I was forced into a Pact.

"The name's Yoshiya Kiryu, but Mother and Father call me Joshua. Hee hee, I suppose you can too, since you are my dear, dear partner." The boy giggled, waiting for a dramatic response.

I didn't give him one. I stared at him dully, quickly loosing interest. The name 'Joshua' sounded a bit familiar; I think my parents may have known a Joshua at one point. Not that that meant anything. There was more than one Joshua in the world.

"Oh," I said, already bored. "I'm Nishiki."

For a second, Joshua looked disappointed, but he quickly recovered. He smiled and played with his hair. "So, 104 huh? Shall we head over there?"

I sighed and looked away. "I don't care. It doesn't really matter either way." I glanced back to see Joshua staring at me like I was some sort of fascinating new discovery. It made me uncomfortable.

"Hee hee, my thoughts exactly," he finally said, which surprised me. "Let the other Players take care of the missions. We'll breeze right through this week."

I nodded. This week would be easier than last week at least. Butch dragged me all over Shibuya going a mile per minute, insisting that we had to clear all the missions ourselves.

"So long as we're playing hooky then, what say we get some coffee?" Joshua suggested.

I shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me."

Joshua smirked and began walking back towards Scramble Crossing. I trailed behind him wordlessly. He was an odd character, but there didn't seem to be anything uber suspicious about him. I'd let him do all the leading this week, just like I'd let Butch do.


	4. Chapter 4

~Chapter 4~

I didn't realize Joshua meant the WildKat café until we were practically at the doorstep. I stopped in my tracks when we reached Cat Street. Joshua glanced back at me when he realized I'd stopped following him.

"What's wrong?" he asked with melodramatic concern.

"I can't go in there," I said quickly.

"And why not? The coffee they serve is fantastic."

"The coffee _he _serves. I can't go in there. I knew the owner of the place while I was still alive," I explained, my heart beating faster than it should at the thought of seeing Mr. Hanekoma again. "He'll think he's seeing a ghost or something!"

"Well, you know, technically he would be," Joshua grinned, using an annoying know-it-all voice.

"Exactly! I can't go in there! I'm _dead. We're _dead. We can't just show up in front of people we know!" I exclaimed.

"Well why not?" Joshua asked, frowning. I stared at him, not knowing at all what to say to this kid who clearly needed help. "Anyway," he went on, "it all depends on how well you know the guy. Maybe he doesn't know you're dead yet."

"Oh, he would know," I said, frowning. "My mom and dad are his business partners."

"Oh, you mean they work for CAT," Joshua stated rather than asked.

"Yeah, my d – Wait, you know Mr. Hanekoma is CAT? How?" I asked, surprised again.

"Because I know everything, silly," Joshua smirked, pulling his thick hair back. "Anyway, you were saying something about your dad?"

I frowned. Maybe this kid was a bit suspicious. And he sounded a bit too excited to ask about my dad. It was creepy. "My dad is the manager for the music line of CAT and my mom is a seamstress for the clothes line," I said, still peering at him suspiciously.

"And that's why you wear all CAT clothing," Joshua said, making another assumption.

"Maybe," I replied, annoyed. "But who care's about that? How did you know Mr. Hanekoma was CAT?"

"Hee hee, because Mr. H. is a personal friend of mine, Nishiki," Joshua giggled.

"What?" I said, shocked all over again. Who _was _this kid? "He's never mentioned you before!"

"Well maybe that's because I don't want to be mentioned, hmm?" Joshua said in a mocking tone. I scowled. This kid was annoying. Butch was bearable; I never really cared what he did. Mostly he just ranted on about his fiancée. But something about this Joshua kid just seemed…off.

"Well, never mind that," I said, shaking off my surprise. "The fact that Mr. Hanekoma is your friend too makes going to see him even worse!"

"I don't really see how that's a problem," Joshua said with mock confusion. He smirked and said, "I don't think we have to worry too much about Mr. H."

"Why?" I asked, containing my growing frustration. Usually I didn't give a crap what people did or said…but ever second I was with this kid…ugh.

"Now, Nishiki," Joshua said with a teasing smile, "I thought you would be good at the Game. Hee hee… I guess my impression was wrong."

I crossed my arms and turned away, deciding it would be best just to ignore his comments. Best not reward his bad behavior.

Obviously sensing that I was done playing along, Joshua continued without a response from me. "I believe you know how to scan, Nishiki?"

I simply nodded.

"Well then, tell me what you're scanning off Mr. H."

At first, I hesitated, not wanting to invade Mr. Hanekoma's privacy, but then shrugged it off. Obviously Sr. Pretty Boy here was trying to make some point, and it's not like I'd go browsing through Mr. Hanekoma's mind.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the player pin and tossed it into the air to activate it. The familiar rush of voices filled my head – granted, it was quieter here on Cat Street. I focused my attention to the thoughts coming from the WildKat. Or should I say thought. Not thoughts. I could only pick up one voice from the café. Some girl was sitting in the back corner of the café sipping at her coffee, her thoughts revolving around a test she was to have in school later that day. But it was definitely not Mr. Hanekoma's voice.

Is he out? Was my initial reaction, but as though fate were trying to disprove my theory, Mr. Hanekoma walked across the café to bring the girl some of his 'special' donuts.

"Wha–" I said involuntarily. Joshua simply smirked in victory. "Why can't I scan him?!" I asked, bewildered for the umpteenth time in the last few minutes.

"I told you we don't need to worry about him," Joshua said, already making his way to the door of the café.

I stared blankly at him before following him into the familiar café. Who was this kid?


	5. Chapter 5

~Chapter 5~

"Hey there, Nishiki!" was the first thing Mr. Hanekoma said as we walked through the door. Well, huh. That was off. Did he really not know that I had died yet? Or did he really have some sort of involvement in the Game as Joshua had hinted. "You too, Josh! How about you two come meet me in the kitchen?"

The girl in the corner looked up curiously. Her auburn bangs swayed in front of her purple irises that shown with interest. I glanced at her and she ducked her head back into her book in embarrassment. I shrugged to myself and followed Joshua and Mr. Hanekoma into the kitchen.

"Good to see you among the living, Nishiki," Mr. Hanekoma grinned as we reached the kitchen. "Or so to speak," He finished chuckling to himself.

Hmm. So apparently Hanekoma did know something about the Game. I looked him in the eye sending a what-the-heck sort of look.

"Ahhh," Mr. Hanekoma said, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm guessing Josh filled you in about me then?"

"Actually, no," I replied, sending Joshua a dirty look. Joshua simply snickered and pretended to do something on his phone.

"Oh," Mr. Hanekoma said, sounding surprised. Wow, he must not know Joshua at all. Not that I really did either, but still, you'd think he'd know enough to know Joshua wasn't exactly most straight forward kid you'll ever meet. 'Personal friend' my butt, Joshua. "Well I guess you already know that I have something to do with the Game. You're smart enough to figure at least that out.

"Obviously," I replied. "Why can't I scan you? Don't tell me you're a Reaper too."

Joshua and Mr. Hanekoma both started laughing at the same time. I continued to stare at them, not returning the laugh.

"No, I'm not a Reaper," Hanekoma said after recomposing himself. "I'm more of a…Guardian, if you will. I'm the guy who makes sure the Game is played fairly."

I took a moment to process this. I wondered if my parents knew about this. Probably not. I felt a hint of betrayal at Mr. Hanekoma's words. How could he be part of the Game? He was one of those few people that could spark reactions in me, and I respected him for that. But…he was part of the Game?

"I see you're having a difficult time with this," Joshua said with fake sympathy. Clearly Joshua had known all of this all along. "Why don't you go sit down?"

"Yeah, Josh is right, N," Hanekoma agreed suddenly. "I'll treat you to some of my special coffee, okay? Of course, it'll be 520 yen."

Apparently, both Joshua and Mr. Hanekoma thought I was stupid. It was obvious they wanted me gone for the moment. Whatever. I decided to play along.

I nodded and made my way back to the costumer's portion of the café and sat at the table farthest from the girl who was still reading her book.

XXX

Hanekoma turned to Joshua and sighed. "I'm guessing you've cleared the Mission for today then?"

"Actually no," Joshua said, putting a hand to his chin. "Nishiki showed no interest whatsoever in the Mission."

Hanekoma sighed and rubbed his temple. "Somehow, that doesn't surprise me." Joshua raised an eyebrow. Seeing this, Hanekoma went on, "Maybe you've picked up on this already, but Nishiki has never been one to get excited over anything."

Joshua nodded. "You know, I _have _picked up on that." He frowned and walked over to the small window that showed the tables inside the WildKat. Nishiki was sitting alone in a corner, his head resting on his hand. He was staring out the window with a blank look in his eyes. "Why is that do you think?"

Hanekoma shrugged and joined Joshua in gazing at Nishiki through the window. "Originally I'd say he's like his father in that he doesn't like people… but it's different than that."

"What do you mean?" Joshua asked, pulling he eyes away from Nishiki to meet Hanekoma's eyes.

"I don't know. I mean, I know he doesn't like people, but he doesn't dislike them either. Neku just didn't understand other people, so he avoided them; I don't think that's the case with Nishiki. It's like Nishiki couldn't care less about other people. Actually, he couldn't care less about _anything_."

"I see…" Joshua said more to himself than Hanekoma. He returned his gaze to the window. So, in order for Nishiki to win the game he needed to care. He eyeballed the girl in the corner, getting an idea. Her short, wavy hair was swung over her face as she read her book intently.

"Can I ask you something?" Hanekoma asked, distracting Joshua from his thoughts. Joshua nodded, continuing to gaze at the girl. "Why are you helping Nishiki?"

"Because I feel I owe Neku a favor," Joshua replied simply.

"Well, you already brought him and his friends back. Why his son too?"

Joshua raised an eyebrow and looked curiously at Hanekoma. "Do you not want me to help him?"

"No, I do," Hanekoma said, shaking his head. "I'm just curious as to why you are."

Joshua frowned. In truth, he wasn't really sure why he was helping Nishiki. Perhaps it was just that he still felt indebted to Neku. Perhaps he was looking for the kind of amusement he had gotten from Neku, back when they were partners so long ago.

"At any rate," Joshua said, deciding not to answer Hanekoma's question, "I believe I know what Nishiki needs to win the game."

"And what would that be," Hanekoma asked, slightly annoyed that Joshua hadn't answered his question.

"What Nishiki must gain to win the Game, is 'Passion.'"


	6. Chapter 6

~Chapter 6~

I drummed my fingers against the table. What was taking them so long? I sighed and leaned back in my chair. This would classify as boring. Super boring. Max boredom. Super boredom. Chronic Boredom. The fact that I was making up different terms for the boredom was proof enough of the boringness that was occurring here.

I looked at the timer on my hand in attempt to relieve this boredom. Fifteen minutes left. I would've thought someone would've cleared the Mission by now. Today's was the easiest Mission of them all. You didn't even really need a partner for this one.

I looked out the window again, watching people walk by, some in a rush, some just meandering along, and others hanging out with friends. During this process, the soft stinging of the seconds ticking by on the timer ceased. Someone had cleared the Mission. I sighed with mild relief.

I heard the door behind my click open and turned to see Joshua and Hanekoma returning from the kitchen. Joshua made his way over to me while Hanekoma went to tend to the girl.

"Is it time to go?" I asked Joshua when he reached my table.

"Not yet," he replied. "Mr. H. says we gotta wait for that young lady over there to leave before we can. With the glass windows, it'll look like we evaporated once the get outside."

"Oh," I said. That made sense. "But why didn't that matter while we were coming in?"

"Because she wasn't looking when I opened the door, Nishiki," Joshua said, once again questioning my intelligence with his tone. I frowned, annoyed.

"No, but she's not looking _now _either," I pointed out.

Joshua sighed, as if it pained him to have to explain this. I resisted the urge to hit him upside the head. "Well, Nishiki. What's the first thing you do when you hear the door open in the room you're in?"

"Um. Look?"

"Exactly. Before, when we came in, she wasn't looking, so when we came inside, she would have assumed that she just didn't see us coming. Now, if we leave, she'll look up to see us open the door and then disappear. Does this make sense to you, Nishiki?"

I refused to let him know that I hadn't figured this out on my own, so I didn't say anything. And is it just me, or does Joshua say my name in conversation _way _too much?

I looked over to Mr. Hanekoma and the girl, to assess the progress being made. Mr. Hanekoma was smiling pleasantly and asking if she would like her bill. The girl smiled and nodded, closing her book. She stood up, thanked Mr. Hanekoma warmly and bowed slightly in repect.

I stood up as well, stretching. Since the Mission was over, it wouldn't be too long before we found ourselves waking up in the next day. I figured it'd be best if we were outside and invisible when that happened.

Joshua stood up too and walked over to Mr. Hanekoma and the girl, smiling suspiciously. I tried to ignore my new partner to the best of my abilities and walked to the door to wait for the girl to leave.

The girl, Mr. Hanekoma, and Joshua walked towards the door as well. Hanekoma was thanking the girl about her kind service and yadda yadda yadda. I was bored and wanted to leave. Couldn't they pick up the pace at least a little bit?

Just as the girl was passing me, Joshua walked up to me, getting in her way. Her feet tangled up when she tried to stop to avoid Joshua, so the poor girl fell, courtesy to the stupidity of my new partner.

Of course, being right there, she had to fall on _me._

The girl grabbed my shoulder to keep herself from falling – a reflex I suppose.

My heart skipped a beat.

I reached out and grabbed her arm, steadying her enough that she could stand on her own. She blushed madly, apologized a good thirty times and dashed out the door.

I stared after her. I put my hand over my chest in confusion. My heart had never forgotten to beat before… did this have something to do with the Game? It didn't do that last Game…

I walked quickly pass Mr. Hanekoma and Joshua to get outside, and out of the corner of my eyes, I could've sworn I saw them grinning.

**Day 1 --- End **


	7. Chapter 7

~Chapter 7~

I squinted against the sun and rubbed my eyes. I sat up slowly and yawned. Day 2.

I pulled myself to my feet and looked around, gathering my surroundings. Cars rolled by loudly and graffiti littered the walls, telling me this was the Miyashita Park Underpass. Joshua was off to the corner, talking on the phone. By the sound of the conversation, it sounded like he was having a light conversation with Mr. Hanekoma.

Not really all that interested in what they were talking about, I hung off in the Corner of the park, waiting for the day's Mission. After a few moments, my phone beeped, signaling the text.

I pulled out my phone and read:

'Purify the cursed Ramen in Dogenzaka. Time limit: 220 minutes. Fail and Face Erasure.

- the Reapers'

The timer burned into my hand as I returned my phone to my pocket. At least today's Mission was different than last weeks. At least things wouldn't be quite as boring as I thought they might be.

At that moment Joshua got off the phone.

"Hey, Partner," he greeting, smirking. "Wanna play hooky again? Mr. H. invited us for some morning coffee."

"Sure," I answered, tempted by the idea of warm coffee; the November air sending a chill down my spine. Today, Joshua didn't seem surprised by my lack of enthusiasm towards the Mission. He must have learned by now that I wouldn't get too worked up either way.

I steered myself towards Miyashita Park, only to ram headfirst into and invisible barrier.

"Damn Wall," I muttered bitterly, rubbing my now sore forehead. Joshua seemed to find this very amusing.

"You need to watch where you're going, Nishiki, hee hee," he giggled.

I glared at him before deciding not to comment. I glanced around for a Reaper wearing a red jacket. I spotted him lurking in the far corner, next to the Wall.

So then there must be something the Players had to do on the other side. Walls were only put up as an obstacle or as guides, keeping Players on the right trail. If there was no need to pass a wall, no Reapers would be around.

I sighed and walked up to the hooded figure.

"So, what are the terms?" I asked him dully.

The Reaper hesitated for a moment – most likely thinking of a term – before replying in a bored voice, "Clear any Noise possessing people in the area."

I sighed and looked around for signs of possession. Joshua was being a big help, of course, deciding that this was an appropriate time to play on his phone.

I spotted a middle aged, fairly fat man muttering bitterly to himself about how his daughter was misbehaving and blah blah blah. I scanned him and sure enough, found the golden Noise circling him.

"Ready?" I asked Joshua.

"Ready when you are partner," Joshua smiled, holding his phone in front of him like a weapon. I didn't ask him about it – I'd rather not know what he was planning to do with it.

I scanned the Noise and felt myself being pulled onto the Noise Plain. Whoever the man was, he seriously needed help if he could get possessed by a simple frog Noise. It wasn't even a pack of frog Noise. Just one.

Needless to say, Joshua and I creamed it in all of two seconds.

I walked back up to the Reaper. "Objective met. Wall clear," was all he said, stepping aside to let us pass.

"Well that was annoying," I muttered to Joshua as we made our way to the WildKat. Joshua laughed and played with his hair.

**Author's Note: I apologize for the late, rather short update. I realize this is sort of filler-ish. Next chapter will be better, I promise. =D **

***gives out cookies to readers*  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'm sooooo sorry for the late update *bows repeatedly* Gomen, gomen.**

**And I really have no good excuse, other than I've just become wrapped up in watching Clannad (amazing show)... I'm sorry...**

***hands out home made gluten free brownies* please forgive me.  
**

~Chapter 8~

"So, Nishiki," Joshua began as we made our way through Miyashita Park.

"Yeah," I answered, already dreading where this was going.

"I was wondering," Joshua smiled, playing with his hair…again, "if you would tell me a little bit more about your parents?"

"Why does it matter?" I asked without looking his way.

"Call it a morbid curiosity."

Morbid? I glanced at him, confused. "There's not much to say," I said after a moment.

"Why don't you start with their names. That should be easy enough for you. Hee hee…" Joshua smirked and raised an eyebrow.

I stopped walking and gave him a long steady look that said something along the lines of 'you'd better shut up soon or you'll find yourself waking up breathing through a tube.'

But I decided to answer anyway.

"Neku and Shiki."

"Really?" Joshua smirked, but didn't sound at all surprised. "They seriously named you after themselves? Hee hee. How embarrassing."

I frowned. "No, they did not name me after them."

"But Nishiki sounds just lik-"

"Yes, I know," I said, cutting Joshua off.

"Then how'd they come up with your name?" Joshua asked, sounding skeptical.

"Well actually…It's almost more embarrassing," I admitted.

**PoV Change ~3****rd**** Person**

XXXEnteringXXXFlashbackXXXModeXXX

"Mommy?" Innocent, five-year-old Nishiki tugged on his mother's shirt.

"Yes, Dear?" Shiki looked up from her book and pushed her glasses up higher on her nose.

"At school today, my teacher said she thought my name was cute because it was just like yours and Daddy's. Did you really do that on purpose?" Nishiki asked, recounting his first day of kindergarten.

"Well actually," Shiki replied, running a hand through her short, brown hair, "I chose your name from a book."

"Which book?" Nishiki asked, petting the head of the old and rather beaten up doll, Mr. Mew.

Shiki sat back into her chair and looked up at the lights overhead, reminiscing. "Well, when I was young – older than you, though – my favorite manga ever was DNAngel. And in the back of the first volume, there's this short story called 'N is for Nishiki' and I've always just loved that name."

"Really?" Nishiki asked, already disappointed.

"Yes," Shiki shrugged and re-opened her book. "That's all there is to it."

XXXExitingXXXFlashbackXXXModeXXX

**PoV Change ~1****st**** Person **

Joshua's usually cool and sarcastic composure was replaced with a less collected one as he gave up trying not to laugh and burst into a fit of giggles.

"They seriously named you after a _manga _character?" Joshua asked, after only half successfully succeeding in his battle against the giggles.

"Shut up," I flushed before walking quickly to Cat Street.

**A/N: because I've already received a few comments on Nishiki's name (both on Fanfic and in real life) I decided to write the story on how he got his name. And yes, I did actually get it from DNAngel (however, DNAngel isn't my _favorite _manga XD).**

**But thanks for bearing with me. ^.^  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**Authors Note: Yay! I have returned! I'm really sorry for the long streak of non-updateness. And I really have no excuse at all this time -.-; But rest assured, I haven't abandoned Dead Roses just yet, and I still intend to see it through till the end. Just bear with me until then, okay? I'll try to be better (I always say that, don't I?).**

**But for now, please enjoy chapter 9!  
**

~Chapter 9~

"Hey there, Boss!" Mr. Hanekoma called from behind the counter, where he was filling up a mug of coffee. "You too, J-dawg!"

J-dawg? And Joshua made fun of _me _for _my _name issues.

"Yo," I replied as I reached the counter. I swiped the mug from Mr. Hanekoma's hand and took a sip.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Mr. Hanekoma gasped as he snatched the mug from me and held it close to his chest like it was his first-born child. "That's for the costumer!" He gestured over to the same girl from yesterday who was sitting at the same table with her head buried in another book.

"Her again?" I asked in pretend curiosity, but in reality, I was more concerned about the fact that I no longer had coffee in my hands.

"Yeah, she's a regular of mine," Mr. Hanekoma answered as he wiped the rim of the mug with his sleeve. "She's here every day before and after school and on most weekend days too." He put a cover on top of the mug. "There. Perfect."

"Er-" I started as I stared at the mug. "Can you do that after I drank out of it?"

"Well, why not?" Joshua said as he reached the counter. He whipped out his phone and began tinkering around with it again. "Just think of it as indirect kissing."

"And besides, she'll never know," Mr. Hanekoma reasoned with a smile that I can only assume was meant to be reassuring. He picked up some donuts that were sitting next to a stack of unused mugs and brought them over to the girl.

"Seriously?" I asked after Mr. Hanekoma was out of earshot, raising an eyebrow at Joshua. "Indirect kissing? And how old are you, exactly?"

But even as I said that, I couldn't help thinking about my skipping heart.

Joshua giggled and – write this down – actually gave a straight forward answer for once in his life.

"I'm fifteen, Nishiki."

"Wait, you're in middle school?"

"I'm indeed a senior in middle school," Joshua answered as he walked behind the counter to fill up his own cup of coffee. "Is that so surprising?"

"Well, no I guess." It really _shouldn't _matter. It just seemed to me that Joshua was at least in high school. His attitude certainly seemed older than that of an average ninth grader.

"So what grade are you in?" Joshua asked as he mixed in sugar and cream to his coffee.

"Does it really matter?" I asked. I leaned my head in my hands and began staring out the window, watching more people pass by.

"No," Joshua giggled as he took a sip of his coffee. He leaned against the counter, and looked out the window as well. "But I think I have a right to know, seeing as you are my dear, dear partner."

I pulled my eyes away from the people littering Cat Street to give Joshua a narrow-eyed stare. Joshua merely smirked and twirled his hair in his fingers.

"I'm a senior in high school," I answered after a moment.

"So I guess we'll never see each other in school then," Joshua said in mock despair. He sighed dramatically and straitened up, sipping at his coffee again.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Mr. Hanekoma said for a second time as he returned from the girl's table. "You're both terrible! I'm glad you can make yourself at home, but this is ridiculous!"

"Oh, c'mon Mr. H." Joshua said as he dodged Mr. Hanekoma's attempt to steal his coffee. "We may only have a week to live – so to speak," Joshua giggled at his own joke. "At least let us live it to the fullest."

"Game or no Game, you're still paying for that coffee." Mr. Hanekoma crossed his arms, making him look most un-Hanekoma-y.

"Oh, very well," Joshua sighed dramatically, as if the task were a tiresome burden. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a 100 yen piece. "Here you go."

"Hey." Mr. Hankoma looked down repulsively at the 100 yen piece. "Those coffee beans are my life. Pay up buddy. In fact I should charge 1000 yen just for taking some without permission."

"Fine fine, don't treat the dying with mercy. Hee hee…" Joshua smirked as he pulled out a 1000 yen bill.

Losing interest, I resumed gazing out at the people wandering though the street. It made me wonder: How many people would even enter the Game if they died? How many had already lost? And how many had won and were now back to roaming Shibuya, exactly the same way as before?

Which begged the question: Why had _I _even entered the Game? I honestly had no interest in going back…

"Yo, Boss!" Mr. Hanekoma clapped his hands in front of my face loudly. I jumped and looked up at him in surprise.

"Wha?"

"You were zoning out again, Nishiki," Joshua chided as he played with his hair.

"I was just asking you and Josh about today's Mission," Mr. Hanekoma said.

"Oh. We're skipping again," I said, not really wanting to talk about the Game. It was boring.

"You didn't think about it at all?' Mr. Hanekoma asked, sounding concerned.

"I'd rather not think about cursed ramen, thank you." I said and Joshua giggled.

"Yeah, the Missions aren't really so fabulous are they?" Joshua mocked, looking at the Mission on his phone. I blinked. Did Joshua honestly just say _fabulous? _

"But you've beaten the Game before," Mr. Hanekoma said, aiming his sentence at me. "You of all people should know the importance of clearing the Missions."

I just shrugged and avoided looking him in the eye.

But from the corner of my eye, I could see Mr. Hanekoma and Joshua share a look I couldn't read.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Hooray! No uber long delay this time! (Hopefully I can keep that up o.0;). Without further delay, I hope you all enjoy Chapter 10! =3**

~Chapter 10~

My hand stopped burning.

I could feel the familiar small wave of relief wash over me as I realized someone had cleared the mission. Apparently Dogenzaka's ramen was no longer demonic.

"See, the Mission's already cleared anyway," I said, showing my timer-free hand to him.

Mr. Hanekoma frowned but said nothing.

XXX

The Reaper staggered, clutching her dead, yet still beating heart. No! This was wrong! It was one of the Rules of the Game! Reapers wouldn't touch Players until the Final Day, only sending out Noise. Those were the Rules she had been told.

So Players weren't supposed to directly attack Reapers in return, right?

The Player in front of her grinned evilly, his hand still smoking from his Psyches. His female partner ran to his side and glared down at the Reaper.

"You're getting what you deserve, Scum," the male Player spat, looking at the Reaper who was doubled over on the ground, still clutching her chest. The Players' eyes were filled with disgust.

The Reaper panicked as she saw herself beginning to fade. No! She wasn't ready to be Erased yet! It wasn't fair. She wasn't behind on points. She'd done everything according to the Shibuya Game Rules, hadn't she? She couldn't think of anything she'd down wrong. She didn't even touch the Players when they'd jumped her, because it was against the Rules.

She didn't want to just be Soul yet. She loved her double life. She could still talk to her friends and family in the RG and her new Reaper friends in the UG.

Her dead heart sputtered as her vision began to waver in and out. She looked fearfully up at the two Players, and the last thing she saw before Erasure took her was the look of pure hate and disgust in their eyes.

XXX

"So how long do you think it'll be until the Day's over, now that the Mission's cleared?" I asked in a fairly poor attempt to change the subject.

"How should we know, Nishiki?" Joshua smirked. He ran one hand through his hair and used the other to take another drink of coffee. "I believe that's up to the Game Master to decide."

I laid my head down on the counter and sighed in boredom. The Reaper's Game shouldn't even really be called a 'week.' It should be something more along the lines of 'seven missions to be cleared over a span of 7 days that aren't even 24 hours long.'

"The Game is boring and stupid," I mumbled into the counter.

For a split second, it looked as though Joshua was insulted, but his expression cleared almost as fast as it had come and I wasn't even sure if I'd seen it correctly.

"I hardly think the Game was meant to be fun, Nishiki," Joshua giggled. "But, if you're so bored, why not take the opportunity to make a friend?"

"Wha-" I began, but Joshua's call cut me off.

"Excuse me, Miss," Joshua called across the room to the girl reading in the corner. She jumped and looked up from her book. "Would you care to join us?"

"Um, s-sure," the girl said nervously, shutting her book. She stood up and began to walk over.

"What are you doing?" I whispered angrily at Joshua. I didn't want to talk to this stranger. I didn't care about her or her life; it didn't affect me in any way. I didn't want to know or care about her petty woes over which shoe brand to buy or whatever other stupid thing every teenage girl on the planet talked about. I didn't _want_ to care about her in any way, shape, or form.

Joshua didn't respond. He merely giggled that damn giggle.

"Um, hello," the girl said as she reached us.

"Hello," Joshua greeted in return, smiling oh-so politely. "My name is Yoshiya Kiryu. And this over here is Nishiki."

Joshua and Mr. Hanekoma both stared at me expectantly. I sighed to myself before grudgingly saying "Hi."

"And what's your name?" Joshua asked the girl.

She clutched her book closer to her chest before shyly replying.

"Maeko."

**Author's Note: 'Maeko' is pronoucned 'May-koh'. I had a friend who asked how to say it, so I thought I should put this in ^.^; **

**Thank you all for reading. *bows in gratitude*  
**


	11. Chapter 11

**Authors Note: Yay, another chapter =D! It wasn't too long between chapters this time, right? I'm really trying to be better at keeping my chapter uploads frequent. And I'm discovering, that with a plot like TWEWY where you know there's a certain amount of days you must fill during your plot, it's very challenging to find the correct pace for the story... but I'll do my best! =3**

~ Chapter 11 ~

"What a pretty name," Joshua smiled. It almost made me sick, this false sweetness that was suddenly radiating from him.

"Thanks," Maeko responded quietly.

"Well, I noticed you reading here yesterday," Joshua continued, twirling a strand of hair in his fingers, "and Nishiki and I rather like this café, so I wondered if we could be friends, since we all seem to like it here."

Maeko and I both blinked at Joshua. Seriously? "I wondered if we could be friends"? Who honestly just _says _things like that?

"Um, okay," Maeko replied, clearly never having anyone say something like that to her before.

"Have a seat, Boss," Mr. Hanekoma grinned, pointing to an open seat next to me, before turning to go into the kitchen.

Maeko nodded and quickly sat down. I resisted the urge to lean away from her; her chair was too close. Not that it was her fault. I glared accusingly at Joshua who simply smiled innocently.

"So what brings you to the WildKat?" Joshua continued.

"T-tradition," Maeko muttered.

My eyes flickered in her direction. Tradition? Huh?

She flushed and tried to finish her statement. "W-well, I mean, me and my mom used to come here together everyday, and I wanted to carry on the tradition."

"And your mom can't come anymore?" Joshua asked with polite interest. I wanted to punch him, knowing underneath his cheesy smile was a smirk, probably directed at me.

"No," she answered, more quietly than ever. For a split second, our eyes met. She quickly looked away, flushing.

What? Was I really that scary?

And this whole situation was really getting on my nerves. I mean, the day could be ending any second now, and Joshua wanted to play 'let's make friends!'

"I don't mean to be rude, but Joshua, we really need to go," I said, glaring at him.

"But Nishiki, we _can't _go yet," Joshua said pointedly, before giggling. Crap, I forgot we couldn't leave until she left. I huffed and leaned my head onto my hand.

"Oh, well, actually, I should be heading home soon anyway," Maeko said suddenly and stood up. "It was nice meeting you." To my relief, she left the store sooner than I though she would.

Joshua sighed in melodramatic annoyance. "Way to go, Nishiki. You scared her away."

"What did I do?" I snapped back.

"Wow, Boss. You need to learn some tact if you ever want a girlfriend," Mr. Hanekoma sighed, shaking his head as he returned from the kitchen.

"You were watching? And I don't get what I did wrong," I said, bewildered by the sudden attack from Joshua and Mr. Hanekoma. "And I don't want a girlfriend."

"Now, Nishiki, do you really expect us to believe that?" Joshua smirked, sipping at his coffee. "What teenage boy on this planet doesn't dream of girls?"

"This one," I said bluntly. I couldn't care less about girls.

Joshua gasped in mock horror. "I can't let that be! Then this is the perfect opportunity for you to explore new horizons!"

"Horizons called women," Mr. Hanekoma added.

"You're both morons," I said, starting to get pissed. "Why would anyone want to get a girlfriend when they're _dead,_ anyway?"

"Because this is a vital experience for you emotional growth, Nishiki. Hee hee…" Joshua giggled. "You can't expect us to let you die before ever having _one _girl."

"But why even try if I'm just going to die anyway?" I asked sharply. And why the smoof were we even on this subject? "And jeez, what jerk would make friends with someone, knowing they're going to die in a few days anyway?"

At that, both Mr. Hanekoma and Joshua stopped grinning. Mr. Hanekoma looked almost amazed and Joshua looked… intrigued.

"What?" I snapped.

"Nothing," Joshua replied too innocently.

"Screw you both," I muttered before leaving the café.

**Day 2 -- End**

**Authors Note: You know, it almost kills me sometimes to write in Nishiki's point of view. I have to be so negative towards Joshua D=. Oh, the woes of authorhood )= **

**And to Ayu Yui, (this is kind of delayed =/) I really wish Joshua weren't in Middle School, but in the Unlockable Chapter, 'Another Day', it says that Neku, Joshua, Shiki, and Beat are all 'Middle Schoolers.' Trust me, I was most upset when I found this out. I didn't realize they were all so young... I mean, I realize in Japan, Middle School is Grades 7-9, but I still didn't think the TWEWY cast was so young .; And as for calling Joshua a 'senior' I guess that's my own personal preference of calling him that ^.^  
**

**But thank you, thank all of you, for reading my story and sending reviews =D. It really makes my day whenever I get a review or a 'favorited story'. *gives everyone more cookies*  
**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hello again! Thank you all for reading =3. I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone once again for the Reviews =D! And I just wanted to let you know, that whenever one of you suggests an idea in a Review, it gives me tons of ideas, so thanks so much! You might just see your ideas in upcoming chapters ^.^**

**So once again, thank you, and I hope you enjoy the chapter =).**

**--Dawn  
**

~Chapter 12~

"GRAAAHHHH" Uzuki screamed, clutching her short, pink hair angrily.

"Whoaaa…Chill, Girl." Kariya soothed, putting a lollipop to his mouth. "Keep spazing like that, and you're going to ruin your new Promotion."

Uzuki took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. "How can you _stand _this!? I _**hate**_these new Rules!"

"Actually, I kind of like 'em," Kariya admitted with a grin. "Makes my Job easier, y'know?"

"You're such an underachiever," Uzuki muttered bitterly. Kariya laughed.

"Hey, I'm just going to enjoy some down time."

"But it's so _infuriating_," she protested angrily. "Whose idea was it to make the Game playable for _Kindergarteners?!_"

"You're gunna have to ask the Higher Ups about that one," Kariya answered, half joking, half serious. "In the meantime, just focus on creating new Missions, Miss Game Master."

"But that's my _point!_" she yelled, loosing her temper again. "How am I supposed created good Missions with all these new Rules? With so many restrictions, they're all almost completely _pointless_. It's already been two days and all of _two _Players have been Erased! And one of those was just because their Partner was gone!"

"But I don't think that's what –"

"They way the Game _used _to be," she interrupted, "there were hardly ever any Reincarnations, now at least one Player makes it to the end of almost _every Game!_ Things were better before the new Conductor."

"I don't think Players winning the Game is what you should be worried about, Girl," Kariya said, suddenly serious.

"What do you mean?"

"I think you should be worried about the fact that there are so many Game Masters _losing_ the Game."

Uzuki paused for a second, confused. "You think I'm going to be Erased?"

"I'm just saying to keep that in mind," Kariya replied, crunching forcefully into his lollipop.

"That's insulting," she muttered angrily.

"I'm not trying to insult you, Girl," he answered quickly, holding up his hands. "In fact, let's make it a bet."

"Another Game?" Uzuki smiled.

"If everything goes well this week, I'll treat you to some ramen," he grinned, placing his usual bet.

"Umm," Uzuki frowned. "If everything _doesn't _go well, then I won't really be in any position to match that bet, you know."

"Then let's just hope everything goes perfectly," Kariya replied.

XXX

I sat up and rubbed my eyes against the light. Day three.

I yawned and took in my surroundings, to find myself in the middle of the street in Dogenzaka. Joshua was looking at the menu that was outside Ramen Don with great interest.

Not bothering to stand up, I leaned back on my arms to wait for the Mission, which came shortly after. I braced myself for the burning in my hand that would follow before I read the Mission.

'Proceed to Cat Street, then return to Dogenzaka. Time Limit: 30 minutes. Fail, and face Erasure.

--the Reapers'

"Seriously?" I said out loud. "Now we can't go to the WildKat again." And dang, I was in the mood for more coffee.

**A/N: Sorry it's a bit on the shorter side this time, but trust me, this chapter was inportant. Thank you all again =3.**


End file.
